Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! I only own my OC, and any other characters or plotlines I make up along the way!

AN: I told you the next update wouldn't take too long!

Enjoy!

I wasn't okay with the plan, but Merlin and Arthur managed to convince me that everything would be okay. With Merlin as bait, he was dressed up like a knight as he was chased (in actuality, led) a band of armed men into the woods where we were all waiting to ambush them. Merlin tripped onto the ground, and I almost ran after him, but Elyan grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

Merlin picked up the ax and ran straight into the dead end. He stopped and turned to face the army, who were now strolling in to meet him. Merlin raised the ax in his hands in preparation.

"Trapped, are we?" the man who seemed to be the leader, asked.

All of a sudden, one of our men shot an arrow that hit one of the knights straight in the back. The pursuers looked up to see that they were surrounded by the Knights of Camelot just as Merlin smirked. "That's the idea!"

"On me!" Arthur shouted, and we all jumped into action.

Once the battle had been fought and won, I was wiping the blood off of my face and what I could of my clothes when Agravaine dragged the leader of the prisoners over to where Arthur and I were. "Your Majesty. Look what we have here," he started.

Arthur looked down at the prisoner. "He comes with us. We'll deal with the prisoners when we get back to Camelot."

"I fear this is no ordinary prisoner, Your Highness," Agravaine informed us, and he ripped the necklace off from the man's neck and handed it to Arthur.

He took it, inspected it, and then looked up at the man. "Well, well."

"What is it?" Merlin asked.

Arthur held it up. "This, Merlin, is the royal crest of Caerleon." We all looked over to the King of Caerleon. "Is it not...Your Highness?"

That night, Arthur, Agravaine, and I were all sitting around the campfire as we discussed the new developments.

"This is not the first time he's trespassed on our lands," Arthur mused.

"No, sire. Only last week he seized the village of Stonedown on the western borders," Agravaine reminded us.

"We're not on the borders now, Agravaine," Arthur said. "This is the heart of the kingdom. He took a grave risk coming here."

"Perhaps he doesn't see it that way," Agravaine stated. "I fear it's no coincidence that all this has happened since Uther's death."

I straightened up. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Agravaine looked over at Arthur. "Arthur, your father was a strong king. His enemies feared and respected that strength."

"Are you saying I'm not worthy of that respect?" Arthur asked, his tone changing.

Agravaine shook his head. "No, sire, not at all. There isn't a citizen of Camelot who would not lay down their life for you. But your enemies...to the enemies of Camelot, you are still untested as a king. You must send a clear message that any action against Camelot will be met without mercy."

"Did we not achieve that here today?" Arthur asked.

"No, sire. Not enough," Agravaine answered. "Not enough to deter the likes of Odin and Bayard and the countless others who covet Camelot's wealth."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Arthur wondered.

"I suggest... I suggest that we force him to accept a treaty on our terms," Agravaine offered. "He must withdraw his men from our land, return our territories to us. He must surrender Everwick."

I shook my head. "Caerleon would die first before he accepted those terms."

Agravaine looked back over at Arthur. "Then you are left with no choice."

Arthur's eyes widened at Agravaine's suggestion. "I can't just kill a man in cold blood!"

"Forget a man!" I butted in. "You cannot kill another king. It would bring war to Camelot!"

"Arthur, you must do what you need to do to assert your authority on this land," Agravaine argued.

I looked at Agravaine in disbelief. "Are we forgetting Caerleon's wife, Queen Annis? You do know how she's going to react when you deliver her husband's corpse onto her doorstep, don't you?" I looked over at Arthur. "There has to be another way!"

"There's no other way," Agravaine insisted. "Think on it. Decide by tomorrow." Agravaine stood up and left, leaving Arthur to think about everything that he had said.

Merlin stepped forward. "Arthur..."

The King shook his head as he stood up and walked away. "Not now, Merlin."

I got up from where I was sitting and moved over to where Merlin was. "He needs some time. He's not going to listen to anyone right now."

Merlin nodded in agreement. "What do you think he's going to do?"

"If Agravaine wasn't here, I would confidently say that Arthur will spare Caerleon," I answered. "But ever since Agravaine showed up, it's like Arthur's judgment has been clouded by him. But don't worry, I'll try my best to make sure that it won't."

I was restless that night. The only thoughts that were swimming in my mind was that Arthur might seriously kill Caerleon. I tossed and turned for a while, but when it became clear that sleep was not going to be my friend that night, I got out of the tent that I was sharing with Merlin, grabbed a blanket, and made my way to the spot where the fire was.

Just before I got there, I saw Arthur sitting in front of the fire. After he had gotten up and left, I ate quickly and retired to bed, exhausted from the day's events, so I didn't know when he had returned. I went back to my tent and grabbed another blanket before making my way back to the fire.

I draped one of the blankets around his shoulders, and he turned sharply at the action. However, he deflated when he saw that it was just me, and gratefully wrapped the blanket around his arms. "Thank you," he said as I settled in next to him.

"You must have been thinking really hard, not to notice me coming up beside you," I commented as I wrapped my blanket tighter around my shoulders. "Can't sleep?"

"How can I?" he asked as he rubbed his face. He was exhaused, I could tell, but he wasn't going to go to bed.

"Been thinking about what Agravaine said?" I wondered.

He kept his face buried in his hand as he nodded.

"You know, it wouldn't be much of a dilemma if you just spared Caerleon," I pointed out. "You wouldn't have to worry about killing him, and you wouldn't hold the guilt of taking his life over your head."

"It's not that simple, Elizabeth," Arthur said.

"Of course it is," I retorted. "Especially when you ignore everything Agravaine said about your father."

"My father was a great king, but I don't have his wisdom or his conviction," Arthur argued. "I can only follow his example and do what he would've done."

"Are you forgetting that a lot of Uther's decisions resulted in war?" I asked.

He sharply looked over at me. "What are you suggesting, Elizabeth?"

I sighed. "I'm just saying that Uther tended to think more with his ego than with his head," I said. "And you're not like that. You use logic and understanding, as you should." I shrugged. "If you want to be like your father, then write up the treaty, because that is what he would have done. But in the event that Caerleon does not sign it, because he won't, don't be your father. Be yourself."

Arthur shook his head at my suggestion. "I have to show my strength. Show that I'm worthy of my father's name."

I sat up straighter. "Caerleon will refuse to sign the treaty."

"Caerleon brought this upon himself," Arthur responded, not looking at me.

I got up and stood in front of him. "You will start a war. Queen Annis will bring hell to Camelot." I shook my head at him. "I don't understand, Arthur. You always show mercy. You've never sought to humiliate your enemy, because it is not how you would want to be treated."

"You have no idea what it is to make these decisions," Arthur argued as he also stood up, which made me feel like I lost my advantage because Arthur was way taller than me and I felt like I had shrunk. "Decisions that will shape the future of this land."

"Right," I nodded sarcastically. "It's not like I've been sitting in on council meetings since I could speak." I gave him a look. "This isn't you, Arthur!" I looked over to where Agravaine's tent was, and the words were slipping out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Perhaps someone is influencing you."

Arthur followed my gaze, and when he saw where I was looking, he looked back over at me. "What are you implying?"

I sucked in a breath. Uh-oh. "I'm just saying that it's no secret that since Agravaine has come to stay in Camelot, you haven't exactly been...yourself."

"You are not my queen, Elizabeth!" Arthur yelled, though he remembered to keep it low because other people were still sleeping. "And Agravaine is my uncle. I won't have you insulting him just because of some crazy theory that your brain has cooked up."

He might as well have slapped me in the face. He just implied that I wasn't a part of his family. I blinked back tears, and I felt that awful lump in your throat when you're trying not to cry form. "I understand," I nodded. "Agravaine is your uncle, your flesh and blood, and I'm just some poor child that lived in your castle when your father picked me up from the streets after my parents died."

Arthur's face immediately turned into one of horror. He reached out to touch my arm. "Elizabeth-"

"Don't!" I said as I took a step back from him. "Make whatever decision you want, Arthur. Just know that when war comes to Camelot-and it will-I will not be standing by your side. You will create this mess for you and your people and you alone will have to get yourself out of it." I turned around to walk away but stopped. I turned back around to face him. "And for the record, I know that I'm not your queen. Nor do I wish to be. I pity the woman that has to become your queen, Arthur Pendragon, because it would seem that her opinions will never matter as much as the opinions of someone who is your blood."

With that, I spun on my heel and stomped away. I ignored Arthur's calls of my name, but he didn't come after me either. I guess he was just giving me some space, like I had done for him earlier, but I would not change my mind. Being king was messing with Arthur's head, especially because he was still so new to it. And having someone with a negative influence like Agravaine was obviously going to make it worse.

Instead of going off to bed, I snuck over to where the prisoners were being held. They were being guarded by some of the knights, who were starting to get a little tired from all the work they did today. I muttered a little spell that would make them less aware of their surroundings before I tip toed over to where Caerleon was being held.

"Your Majesty," I whispered, and he jerked awake. I quickly made a gesture for him to stay quiet, and he suspiciously did so.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered back.

"I just wanted to ask you something," I told him.

He nodded at me. "Proceed."

"I wanted to ask you...if there was anything that you wanted me to tell your wife," I said. "In case you do not get to see her again."

He eyed me suspiciously. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I am a wife," I informed him. "And if the same thing were to happen to my husband, I would want someone to tell me what his last thoughts for me were."

Caerleon still looked suspicious of me, but he responded, "Tell her that I love her, and to do whatever she thinks is right."

I nodded. "Of course, your Majesty." I stood up to leave, but then crouched back down. "Let's hope you make a decision that doesn't require me to pass on the message."

The next morning, Merlin could obviously sense the tension between Arthur and I, especially because I refused to even look the king in the eye.

I didn't let my personal argument with Arthur stand in the way of my professional position in the court, so I stood on one side of him as Merlin stood on the other. The knights all assembled as they brought out the prisoners, forcing Caerleon to stand in front of Arthur. Agravaine presented him with the treaty scroll.

Caerleon eyed it, but also didn't take the scroll either. "What is this?"

Agravaine handed it to Leon, who opened it for him to read. He scoffed in disbelief as he read the terms. "You expect me to sign this? To humiliate myself before you?"

"You invaded our kingdom and took what did not belong to you," Agravaine boomed.

"And if I do not sign?" Caerleon wondered.

"Then you will pay, with your life!" Agravaine declared.

Caerleon scoffed again. "And who makes these terms?"

"Arthur Pendragon..." Arthur announced as he stepped forward. "King of Camelot."

Caerleon pushed Leon's arm aside and stepped forward. "Very well." He shoved off Percival as well. "Then make it quick!" he said as he knelt.

Arthur hesitated. "Think what you're doing, Caerleon. This treaty could seal a truce between us. There would be peace. Like there was between your father and mine."

"I am not my father, and you are not Uther!" Caerleon thundered, which was the wrong thing to say. "Do you really have the guts to kill me?"

"You leave me no choice," Arthur said sternly.

"You do not choose anything, boy," Caerleon spat. "It is I who choose to die, and I alone. Now, get on with it." He bowed his head down to Arthur to give him clear aim at his neck.

His face was void of emotion as he responded, "So be it."

Caerleon looked up at me with his eyes and gave me the slightest of nods. I nodded back in the same way, letting him know that somehow, I would give his wife her husband's final message.

As Arthur drew his sword, he made eye contact with me. In an act of clear defiance, I raised my head at him with a glare on my face and turned around so that I would not have to witness the final act that would bring destruction upon the kingdom that I loved, and in turn, turning my back on Arthur.

I heard the sound of the sword cutting through the air, the sound of blade hitting flesh, and then the sound of a head and a body dropping to the ground separately.

I closed my eyes as I tried not to throw up at the smell of blood that was growing stronger by the second.

War was coming to Camelot.

I completely ignored Arthur. I rode all the way in the back on the way home, I ignored his attempts at talking to me; it was like Arthur Pendragon didn't exist. And he didn't, at least, not the one that I had known.

To make it worse, Arthur broke up with Gwen. She said that it was because he had to think about his position as the king, but I knew that the only way he was thinking like that was because Agravaine had planted the seed into his head, because for as long as I had known, Arthur had been planning to marry Guinevere and implant change when he was king.

So much for being a better king than his father.

Just as I said she would, Queen Annis declared war on Camelot. I stood with the rest of the council members in the council chamber as Arthur spoke of our plans. "At a forced march, Caerleon's men will reach Camelot by sundown tomorrow, which means we have no choice," he declared. "We must intercept them before they reach the Ridge of Landshire." He pointed at the map that was laid out on the table in front of him. "That way, we hold the high ground. The knights of Camelot make ready as I speak. We ride at dawn."

"Long live the king!" Agravaine declared, and I openly glared at him as everyone else began chanting the same thing. I, however, made it a point not to. I did not agree with Arthur's decision, nor do I condone the war that he was going to fight.

I was in my chambers later that day, reading through some documents when there was a knock at the door. "Enter," I called out, not even bothering to look up from my papers.

The door opened, and I didn't look up to see who it was until the person was standing at my desk. When I did, I was surprised to see Arthur. He had this look on his face...like he had something important that he wanted to say but didn't know how to say it.

I dropped my quill and leaned back in my seat for a second before standing up. I didn't break eye contact with him as I picked up the ends of my skirts and dropped into a curtsy. "Your Majesty," I said coldly, finally breaking eye contact only so that I could bow.

"That isn't necessary, Elizabeth," Arthur said as I stood back up.

"Is it not?" I wondered. "I am, after all, just another member of the court."

Arthur didn't even attempt at a response to that. Instead, he looked around at my chambers. When he noticed the lack of packed supplies, he looked back over at me. "Are you not coming?"

"I meant what I said, your Majesty," I told him. "I will have nothing to do with the war that you brought upon this kingdom when you chose to give into your ego instead of listening to sense."

"I know," he said as he rubbed his face, particularly the spot under his eyes, where dark bags were starting to make a home. "You were right. I was wrong."

"Because I was thinking with my head," I responded. I touched my head. "You know, that thing that God gave you that you apparently refuse to ever use?"

"Elizabeth-" Arthur started.

"I cannot participate in a war that the king could have prevented," I said sternly.

Arthur's shoulders sagged, and he looked like he had aged one hundred years in the last few days. "I need you there, Elizabeth," he tried in a last ditch effort.

"If the other day was any indication of how much you need me, Arthur, I would say the opposite," I told him. I would not be persuaded. I took in a deep breath. "Our mutual sister is Morgana. We are both related to her by blood, but we have no sort of relationship with her. You and I, however, are not blood related. And our relationship is stronger than anything." I felt a single tear drop fall down my face. "Yet you chose to side with your blood relative over me. Like our relationship didn't matter-"

"That is not true!" Arthur protested.

"Then why did you side with Agravaine?" I interrupted. "Why, when you knew that what I was saying was right and what he was saying was wrong? Agravaine, who has only ever seen you a few times in the past decade. Agravaine, who knows nothing about you. Agravaine, who is changing you." His eyes looked down as I continued. "Over me, who was grown up by your side. Me, who knows how you fight on the battlefield. Me, who can read your mind without you having to speak any words. Me, who knows better than you do what's in your heart."

He had no answer for that, and he had the decency to look ashamed. I nodded at the heavy silence that hung in the air. I looked away from him as I sat back down and picked up my quill. "You should get some rest. You have a long day ahead of you, your Majesty."

I went back to work, which was a sign of dismissal. Arthur stood there for a few seconds, debating if he should say anything else, but he finally just turned around and left. Once the door was shut behind him, I deflated, and I wiped away the tear that had escaped me.

The doors opened, and in walked Merlin. "Why did Arthur look like he was about to cry?" he asked as he walked over to where I was sitting.

"I had a talk with the king," I responded. "He didn't like what I had to say."

"You cannot be mad at Arthur forever," Merlin tried.

"I certainly can," I responded. "You didn't hear the way he spoke to me, Merlin. Like...like I was just another court member who was beneath him. Like...like what I had to say meant nothing. Like he's never left his kingdom to me before. Like I didn't know what I was doing!" I looked over at him. "He implied that I wasn't a part of his family."

"You know that's not what he meant," Merlin said as he put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Well, that's what it sounded like," I grumbled. "Like Agravaine had more importance than I did. And Agravaine's not even helping Arthur! He's betraying him!" I stood up so that I could face Merlin fully. "I bet he said all that stuff about Uther so that Arthur would kill Caerleon, which would make Annis declare war so that she would kill Arthur, leaving the throne open for Morgana."

"You only know that because you know that Agravaine is betraying Arthur," Merlin reminded me. "By using magic, no less. You saw how Arthur reacted when you simply implied that Agravaine was just changing the way he thought. If you said all that stuff to him-accusations that are serious crimes-who knows what he will do?"

I sighed as I dropped back into my chair. "That's true. I don't know what to do, Merlin."

"Well, I know one thing you could do," Merlin said as he turned the chair so that I was facing him instead of the desk. "Come with us tomorrow."

I gave him a look. "You know-"

"That you can't, morally," Merlin finished. "I know. But your counsel does matter to Arthur, whether you can see that or not."

When I hesitated, Merlin reached out and grabbed my face, cradling my head in his hands. "Think of it this way: you'll be going to protect the people of Camelot. The people of a kingdom that you love. Plus," he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the crown of my head. "I need you there."

I huffed as I realized that he had me. "Fine. I'll come."

The next day, Arthur was very surprised to see me walking to the front of the castle, my horse's reigns in my hand. I stared straight ahead until I was standing next to him.

I didn't look over at him, but Arthur started, "Elizabeth-"

"I am not here for you, your Majesty," I told him. "I have not forgotten that the reason that we are even standing here today is because of a mistake made on your part. The only reason that I am coming is because my husband managed to remind me that while my quarrel is with you, I still love and care about the people of Camelot, and I should not be punishing them."

With that, I continued forward and started preparing my horse for riding. Once he was ready, I climbed on to the saddle and followed dutifully behind Arthur and beside Merlin.

We got to the Ridge of Landshire just before nightfall. We prepared dinner, and I sat with Merlin and the rest of our friend group as we ate, Merlin forcing more and more food on me. I swear to God, if he kept this up, it was going to be a lot harder for me to lose the pregnancy weight.

Everyone was talking and laughing, and I even managed to joke with them after some prompting. I was still in a sad mood about what Arthur had said, and even though I knew that I took it in a way that he hadn't meant, it still hurt. And I wasn't ready to get over it just yet.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I noticed that the conversation around the campfire had ceased, and I followed everyone else's gaze to Arthur's tent, where he was watching us.

He looked like we had caught him staring at us, and he ducked his head as he said, "We should all get some sleep." He turned back into his tent to get ready for bed.

"Is he all right?" Gwaine asked as we all turned to look at each other.

"He's our king," Merlin said. "If anything were to happen to any of us, he'll hold himself responsible."

"That's not the king in him," I said. "It's the Arthur in him."

That night, I was woken up by rustling. I opened my eyes to see that Merlin was getting up and peeking his head out of the tent. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Arthur," he whispered. "He's going somewhere."

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as Merlin stepped out of the tent. I followed behind him, and we both looked out to see Arthur dressed in a shabby brown cloak and leaving our camp. "He's going to Queen Annis's camp."

"How do you know?" Merlin asked.

"Because I know Arthur," I responded. "He's going to go try and call all this off before anyone else has to die." I quickly pulled on my boots and grabbed my own cloak.

"Where are you going?" Merlin asked as he grabbed my arm.

"After him, of course," I whispered as I pulled my arm from his grip. "Who knows, he might do something else stupid."

Merlin tried to convince me that he'd go by himself, but he relented as we followed after Arthur. We stuck mainly to the rock formations so that Arthur couldn't see us.

"Halt!" the sentry yelled as Arthur came to a stop. Arthur opened his cloak as he declared, "I'm unarmed. You know who I am. Take me to your queen."

The sentries grabbed Arthur by his arms and dragged him into the enemy camp. Sharing a wary look, Merlin and I followed.

We followed them to Queen Annis's tent, where we eavesdropped on what was going on. "Your Highness, I know that you feel nothing but contempt for me," we could hear Arthur say as we peeked through the tent seam. "You feel I've done you a grievous wrong, and you would be right. I'm ashamed of what I did. It was cowardly, it was unjust, and I am deeply sorry."

"Sorry does not bring back my husband," Queen Annis gritted through her teeth. "Sorry does not give my people back their king."

"I realize that," Arthur nodded. "I know there's nothing I can do to repair that loss."

"Then what are you doing here, Arthur Pendragon?" Annis practically spat.

"I want to call off the battle," Arthur said.

Annis scoffed. "It's a little too late for that."

"I don't propose a truce, but an alternative," Arthur proposed. "I invoke the right of single combat. Two champions to settle this matter between them."

"And why should I grant you this favour?" Annis wondered.

"There's been bloodshed enough already, Your Highness," Arthur pointed out. "Many hundreds of lives will be saved this way."

Annis nodded for her men to release Arthur, and they did so. "And your terms?" she asked.

"If my man wins, you must withdraw your army," Arthur decreed.

"And if mine is the victor?" Annis retorted.

"Then half of all Camelot is yours," he offered.

I didn't even have the chance to be surprised by his offer, because all of a sudden, two hands were on me, and Merlin and I were being shoved into the tent and on to our knees beside Arthur.

"Sorry," we both muttered.

"You know them?" Annis demanded.

"He's my servant, and the woman is a member of my court," Arthur explained. "They must've followed me here. I-I knew nothing about it."

"Kill them," Annis shrugged, and I felt my heart start to race as the guards started to pull us up.

"Wait!" Arthur said. "Please. Let them go. He's just...a simpleminded fool, and the woman is with child," he tried.

Annis regarded Arthur. "That is two favours you've asked of me this night, Arthur Pendragon." She turned around and sat on her throne, pausing for a minute before saying, "Very well. You shall have your trial by combat."

The relief on Arthur's face was evident. "Announce your champion by noon tomorrow," Annis continued.

Arthur bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"And take your fool and the girl with you," Annis flicked her wrist at us.

"Wait!" I said as I was brought back up to my feet. I looked from the confused expression on Arthur's face and the worried one on Merlin's face, to the surprised one on Annis's face. "If I may, I have a message for your Majesty."

"'Message'?" Annis repeated. "From whom?"

"King Caerleon," I revealed, and I could tell from the heat of his gaze that Arthur was going to kill me for this later, but in his dying moments, I assured Caerleon that I'd give his wife this message.

Annis looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel, but she nodded at her men to let me go, and I walked forward so that I was standing in front of her. "How do you have a message from my husband?"

"The night before he was executed-" I didn't miss the way Arthur and Annis flinched when I said the word "executed"- "I went to King Caerleon and asked him if there was anything that he wanted you to know in case he died."

"Why?" Annis wondered. "Why would you do such a thing, when Caerleon is your enemy?"

"I am a wife first, and a member of the court second," I responded. "I can't even begin to understand the pain that you are feeling, your Majesty, but as a wife I can empathize with it. I know that if something were to happen to my husband, I would want to know what his last words to me were."

Annis studied me for a second, and I did my best not to cower. "And who is your husband?"

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't embarrassed over the fact that a common man like Merlin was my husband. I was nervous because we had been caught in a compromising position. I nodded my head in his direction. "The fool," I answered, a little quietly.

We all turned to Merlin, who raised his hands slightly in a wave. I turned back around to face Annis, who had a look of "really? Him?" on her face. "What can I say? He's a keeper," I tried to joke, but the changing expression on Annis's face showed that I should not have tried to joke. "Sorry."

"What is the message?" Annis prompted, obviously wanting this discussion to end.

I grew a little somber. "King Caerleon said to tell you that he loves you," I started, and it was clear that Annis was choking up at hearing the last words that her husband had for her. "And for you to do whatever you think is right."

Annis cleared her throat in an attempt to keep herself from crying. "How do I know what you are saying is the truth, and not simply some pathetic attempt at trying to get me to call off the battle?"

I gave her a soft look. "From one wife to another, I would not lie."

That seemed to have convince her, somehow. She nodded at me. "Thank you," she managed cordially.

I curtsied deeply. "Your Majesty."

With that, Annis dismissed us, and it was mostly silent on the way back to camp. That is, until Merlin said, "Simpleminded fool?"

"Oh, I was being kind, believe me," Arthur argued. "You almost got me killed in there." He turned to me. "And you! When did you speak to Caerleon?"

"Right after I had my discussion with you, I had a feeling that you were going to kill him. So I went and I asked him what he wanted to tell his wife," I answered.

"Why?" He demanded.

"Didn't you hear me in there?" I asked. "Because Annis had the right to know what her husband's final thoughts were. Just because you weren't thinking properly doesn't mean that I wasn't. I also thought that maybe...maybe if Annis saw the kind of people that we were, she'd take a bit of pity." I shook my head at him. "For goodness sake, Arthur, I was trying to look out for you! Especially because you've had a hard time doing that job yourself."

"Why can you never just let me be?" Arthur wondered.

"Because you're my brother!" I thundered, and Arthur's face was awestruck at my level of intensity. "Not...not by blood," I assured him, which calmed him down a little. The last thing he needed was another surprise sibling. "But growing up...you were my big brother. And when my older brother couldn't take care of himself, I helped to take care of you. And ever since you became king, I've been more and more worried about you. You were thrust suddenly into the role of king, you had no time to prepare for it. I was scared that somehow, you'd do something that would make a mess of things. And when you did, I felt like it was my responsibility to help clean it up." I stepped back from him. "But now that I know that all you see me as is another court member, I'll stop interfering with your life and leave you be."

Just as I turned around to walk back to my tent, Arthur reached out and grabbed my arm. I turned around to face him, irritation growing. "What?"

"You know that's not what I meant that day, Elizabeth," Arthur insisted. "I just meant that I didn't like you insulting my uncle." He dropped my arm, but I didn't leave. "You've always been a sister to me, moreso than my real sister. You know that. I was just..." He sighed. "Scared. I've been scared out of my mind. And seeing the distrust and hatred in your eyes for me has been like being stabbed with my own sword. I couldn't stand the fact that you were against me on something. It made me worried that-" He cut himself off.

That I would realize the mistake that I made in siding with Arthur and return to Morgana, I finished in my mind, because I knew he couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. I sniffled a little as I turned to face Arthur. "I turned my back on both of my real sisters for you, someone who is not my blood. Because blood doesn't make family, Arthur. Relationships do. Trust does. There are some family members that we cannot choose, but others that we can. And the day that Morgause took me away, that was the day that I chose you."

Now, Arthur wasn't a man to cry very often, but he looked like he was going to burst into tears as he reached forward and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back as tightly as possible. It hurt my soul, being cruel to Arthur. I didn't know how much longer I could stand it. But thank God he apologized. I doubt I'd get any actual apology, but this was the closest thing, and I'd take it. "I choose you too, Elizabeth," Arthur said as we pulled apart. "And I appreciate you trying to help, but next time, don't."

I deflated a little. "Okay."

The next day was the fight. Arthur, of course, chose himself as Camelot's champion. The armies of Camelot and Caerleon faced each other as our champion, Arthur, and Caerleon's champion, Derian, walked to the center of the gap.

Arthur looked up at the man, who was a giant compared to the young king. Derian beared his teeth, and I could tell Arthur was trying his best not to flinch.

From my spot on the sidelines, I spotted Morgana, and my stomach dropped all the way to my feet. This was the first time I was seeing my sister, properly seeing her, in over a year. How much she has changed, how much malice was in her heart. Sometimes, when I scried on Morgana, I wasn't just checking up on what she was doing. I was watching her because I missed her. I missed her companionship, the unconditional way she'd loved me, back before we even found out that we were sisters. I kept trying to push the thoughts out of my mind, but they wouldn't leave. I don't think I'd ever stop longing for the person that Morgana used to be.

I snapped myself out of my thoughts as the battle begun, and I discreetly moved back so that I was standing more behind Merlin. I didn't want to risk the chance that Morgana see me.

Derían eventually knocked Arthur to his knees. Arthur rolled out from the blow and sliced Derían's cheek. Derían reached up to his cheek and pulled his hand back to find it slicked with blood. Enraged, he howled and advanced on Arthur again.

All of a sudden, Arthur's sword dropped like lead behind him. He turned to look at it, finding himself unable to lift it. Derían swung and missed on the down sweep. Arthur punched Derían's face and got caught on the upsweep of Derían's sword. His cry of pain made me involuntarily step forward, and Gwaine had to grab my arm and pull me back before I went falling off of the cliff.

He tried to lift his sword again. I looked over at Merlin and grabbed his hand, pleading with my eyes for him to do something. Thinking quick, Merlin did a spell that caused Derían to freeze mid-swing. Arthur abandoned his sword and rammed his shoulder into Derían, knocking him over and falling.

Derían got up first and kicked Arthur over. He picked up his sword, and I could feel my panic level start to bubble over as I squeezed Merlin's hand. Arthur laid almost helplessly on the ground as Derían raised his sword over his head...

And with a quick spell from Merlin, the sword slipped from his hands and into the ground behind him. Derían frozem and Arthur took that as his chance. He rolled up behind Derían, grabbed the sword and sliced across his back. The giant fell to his knees with a loud cry, and Arthur kicked him the rest of the way down.

Arthur was ready to strike. All of a sudden, he looked up at us on the ridge. The tension and worry was clear on my face, because I was making no attempt to hide it. Arthur's gaze eventually fell on me, and I pleaded with my eyes to Arthur for him to make the better decision, the smarter decision, the more Arthur decision.

He looked down at his fallen enemy and ran the sword into the ground by Derían's head.

The relief that filled me was instantaneous, and I nearly fell to the ground as our army began cheering and screaming and shouting, "Long live the king!"

Queen Annis, having to admit defeat, headed towards the champions. I didn't know what they were saying, but by the looks of it, it was a good thing.

I sighed in relief as I leaned against Merlin. "Thank God."

We returned to a celebration in Camelot. Everyone was happy and joyful, and with good reason. We were all safe for another night.

A feast was hastily thrown together in celebration. Later that night, when I was brushing my hair in preparation to go to bed, there was a knock at the door. "Enter!" I called out.

From the reflection in my mirror, I saw that it was Arthur entering the room. I smiled at the reflection before I turned around to face him. "Arthur," I greeted.

He sighed in relief as he walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. "I'm glad we're over 'your Majesty'. Hearing you call me that made my skin crawl."

I chuckled as I put the hairbrush on the vanity dresser before getting up out of my seat and making my way over to him. "Rest assured, I'll only ever call you that when I'm really really cross with you."

"Deal," Arthur agreed as I came to stop in front of him. His expression changed as he said, "Elizabeth, you know that you are the last of my family."

He said it like a statement, not a question. "Just as you are the last of mine," I responded.

"Then...as the last of your family..." He looked like he was going to choke on his own awkwardness. "I've never really asked you this, but...may I call you...sister?"

I'd never really thought of it, either. I considered Arthur my brother, and I always thought that he considered me my sister, because our actual siblings sucked. But we'd never really called each other "sister" or "brother" before. And right now, I didn't know why.

I smiled up at him as I answered, "Just as long as I may call you brother."

With a relieved smile, Arthur reached up at the same time as I reached up so that we could hug each other.

And as I stood there, hugging my brother, I was grateful. I was grateful that I had made the right decision in who I had put my trust in and given my alliance to. Because in that moment, in the Pendragon castle, in Arthur's arms, I had never felt so at home.

TBC...

This chapter was really Arthur/Lizzie heavy BUT DAMN IF I DIDN'T LOVE IT!

I didn't plan for all that drama but hey, it was great, wasn't it? For the first time, Arthur and Lizzie weren't on the same side, so it was interesting to explore that dynamic.

Also, to think I was going to make this an Arthur/Lizzie story. I'm glad I changed it!

Next chapter is A Servant of Two Masters! This'll be good!

REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! THANKS! STAY TUNED!

THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...

Morgana turns Merlin's unconscious body over. "Arthur is strangely fond of the boy. He could prove to be useful."

"My husband is missing!" Elizabeth screams. "I don't care what I have to do to find him!"

Morgana has strung up Merlin by his hands and wake him up by throwing a bucketful of water on him.

"You will kill Arthur Pendragon," Morgana tells Merlin.

"Merlin, is something wrong?" Arthur asks his manservant.

Merlin accidentally shoots an arrow into a bucket with a very powerful crossbow, causing the bucket to break into pieces.

"But why would Merlin want to kill Arthur?" Gwen asks Gaius and Elizabeth.

"You can't trust anyone," Arthur says as he gets ready in his bedchambers, with no clue that standing behind him is Merlin, holding up a sword to his back. "In fact, I think you, Merlin, are the only person I can trust."

"You are just my imagination," Morgana tries to convince herself as she stares at the man who is supposedly her doom.

"Whatever you say!" Old Merlin goes along.

Until next time!